Recipes from the Italian Riviera: n° 7: focaccia genovese

Piping hot focaccia

FOCACCIA GENOVESE (fügassa zeneize) –

GENOESE FLATBREAD

Focaccia is almost certainly linked to Latin
focus=hearth. An iconic street food since the Middle Ages, it used to be eaten
even in churches during weddings and ceremonies – bishops had to ban these inappropriate
picnics! Nowadays, it boasts a “Marchio collettivo” quality brand. Please note
that this declination of the recipe features malt (enhancing leavening and
colouring) but no white wine. Lard and husk oil are always out of the question.

Patiently knead the flour, the water, the oil
(50g), the malt, the salt. Finally, add the crumbled yeast. Test the dough with
your hands till it is smooth and homogeneous: then, let rest for 2 hours in a
big floured bowl (or on a wooden board), protected by a dish cloth. Choose a
tepid, humid place to foster leavening. After 2 hours, deflate the dough into a
square and fold the corners in a bundle. Let rest for another 20 minutes. Knead
and lay the dough on a floured board, keep on kneading then set it in the
focaccia pan (40x60 cm, low- rimmed). Keep on working into the pan, turning the
dough upside down (with a view to even oiling), slowly enlarging it in a
rectangle towards the rims of the pan – stretch out, do not press. When the
dough does not stretch anymore, evenly work the surface with finger
indentations (one of the secret for excellent cooking and taste). Spread with
oil (100 g),
coarse salt (crushed with a rolling pin), and water. The last leavening takes
at least 4 hours. Baking calls for 18 – 20 minutes at 220° C.

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